What Is Mindset & Why Does It Matter?

You are what you think. What you think starts as an intention and then becomes a behaviour, habit, practice, second nature, and finally, who you are; so it is critical to think things that will make your life better.

As a human being, of course you may find yourself harbouring ways of thinking that hinder your progress, but this could be attributed to various factors such as your background, surroundings, experiences, and so forth. However, it is imperative not to let these factors get in your way, you can acknowledge them, yes, but you should strive to change the way you see or do things. One of the best ways of dealing with things is identifying and naming them; only then can you work towards improving them and finding tailored solutions.

Freelancing comes with its own unique set of challenges; and sometimes these challenges are caused by your mindset and attitude. But how do you understand what your mindset is? First of all, let’s understand the definition of a mindset.

What Is Mindset?

The term mindset refers to a set of attitudes or beliefs that shape how you think of yourself and world at large. Meaning, it is not something you are born with, but something you learn by engaging in activities to develop a particular way of thinking. Exercising your mindset can help unlock it and accelerate your life as a freelancer.

Core Types Of Mindsets

Fixed Mindset

With this type of mindset, you view things in a one-dimensional way, more like tunnel vision yet things are not always linear. People with a fixed mind tend to be stuck in their ways, and things are set in stone to them; no flexibility in adapting to change, they’re comfortable with approaching life the only way they know how. In other words, they are not open to change nor unlearning and relearning.
Characteristics of a fixed mindset include viewing feedback as complaints, “my way or the high way” attitude. A fixed mindset can hinder you from attaining your goals and looking at everything as a setback, as opposed to a learning curve and an opportunity to adjust and evolve into the best version of you.

Growth Mindset

As the name suggests, this is a mindset of someone keen on changing how they view things. They are adaptable and open to tweaking or taking a complete overhaul on what they know for the betterment of their life or whatever area of their life that needs adjustment and improvement.
Characteristics of an open mindset include but not limited to: they try new things, iterate processes regularly, view feedback as constructive and challenges as opportunities, have a “can-do” attitude. A growth mindset will help take you places and open opportunities you never knew existed because you bet on yourself.

Benefits Of Having The Right Mindset

Embrace Challenges & Change

Having a growth mindset empowers you to embrace challenges and adapt to change because you have a can-do attitude, which propels you to excel at what you do and exposes you to more opportunities.
We live in an ever-changing world filled with ups and downs, thinking a certain way regarding challenges increases your chances of achieving your goals, which in turn transforms you into a continuous learner.

Enhances Confidence & Self-Esteem

As a freelancer, the nature of your work involves working with different companies with varying identities and missions, not to mention, people from diverse backgrounds; a growth mindset increases your confidence and enables you to engage with all these factors confidently. They say first impressions count, and being confident in how you present yourself to such dynamic clients and brands does more good than harm and increases possibilities to opportunities.

Promotes Self-Awareness

The more you embrace a growth mindset, the more self-aware you become, as you’re able to look within; and avoid being stuck in your ways. Being self-aware makes it easier to be honest with yourself and influences your decision-making.

Broadens Your Knowledge Span & Learning Capacity

Having a growth mindset allows you to seek knowledge and expand your learning capacity. The more you yearn for knowledge, the more you open up to learning, thus enriching your intellectual quotient. Both the future and the now belong to those who are willing to learn and use the lessons creatively to elevate.

Conclusion

In summary, do not get comfortable. Expose yourself to things, spaces, and people that inspire you and spark your curiosity, or better yet, challenge you to think out of the confines of your status quo. Be open to thinking better and doing better, for a more fulfilling life as a freelancer, and remember, no one is above critique - that’s how we grow. Try learning new things and watch how your life will blossom to greater heights. In other words, be curious and bet on yourself.